


The Badlands

by huangjinguo



Series: City Drifters & Misfits [1]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1930s, Brothels, Historical, M/M, Sex Work, blowjob, modern chinese history
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-22
Updated: 2017-12-22
Packaged: 2019-02-18 16:10:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13103811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/huangjinguo/pseuds/huangjinguo
Summary: Yifan owns a brothel in the notorious Badlands of Peking in the 1930s. Yixing, a young man who's usually selling roasted chestnuts for a living, decides to be selling his body for a change.





	The Badlands

**Author's Note:**

> Well this shit has been sitting in my WIPs for ages now and it's not even finished but I decided to fuck it and post it anyways. The story could also end here. It really depends on whether or not y'all want to see more of this (a.k.a. hi I'm a needy bitch that needs validation in form of comments so yeah lol).
> 
> I'm not using "Beijing" bc in the 1930s, Beijing was called Peking. I'm trying to be historically accurate and shit, okay. Also, The Badlands did exist. The Legation Quarter existed too (and it still does to this day actually, even though there's nothing left of the buzz and glam from those days woooh, how did this quarter actually survive the Cultural Revolution, it will forever be a mystery to me). And I'll zip it now before I start nerding out again.
> 
> Also: Not beta'd. Poorly edited. I'm just throwing out the shit I have because I should be doing a million other things that I want to avoid. I'm a real responsible adult. Not.

***

It’s an early evening and a much earlier nightfall than usual as Wu Yifan makes his way from his house to the notorious Badlands of Peking. The stinging winter wind clings to his exposed face and he fastens his pace through the muddy street to escape the cold. During the day, the small district seems to be in a deep sleep, recovering from the night before. When dusk falls over China’s former capital though, the tranquil hutongs come to life and the buzzing of nightclubs, restaurants, bars, and brothels carries all the way over the Tartar Wall in the South.

That little part of no-man’s-land between the Legation Quarter, in which the foreigners reside in fancy houses, and the rest of Peking, is the perfect place for all kinds of businesses. In these dirty streets, anyone who’s willing to pay for whatever their heart desires will most likely find what they’re looking for. 

Foreigners looking for an adventure, and Chinese looking for Opium alike frequent the hutongs, letting the district become a melting pot of different ethnicities and people, the rich, the poor, the good, and mostly the bad.

Wu Yifan doesn’t know if he is one of the good or the bad people. He’s the owner of a brothel that’s extremely well-off compared to the ones of his rivals, and he’s getting a respectable amount of hate for it. He couldn’t care less though, because he didn’t come to Peking to make friends – he came all the way from Guangzhou to the North to make money. And his brothel is the perfect way to do so. 

What makes the establishment special aren’t necessarily the nice private rooms – even though Yifan has put a lot of money into those to make them stand out from the interior of other whorehouses – or the quality of the drinks. It’s the great variety of workers. If a man comes in, and has a special desire, Yifan can provide him with the perfect match: White, Chinese, Asian, female, male, Yifan’s got them all. He’s got to thank one of his employees for that, an older woman who’s owned a brothel herself before she hadn’t felt like running it anymore. She knocked on Yifan’s doorway two years ago, right when he was struggling to get his business going and with her help, his whorehouse had quickly gained a reputation in The Badlands. She’s out during the day to scout for new faces, and there during the nights to keep watch of the girls and boys working for Yifan. Yifan doesn’t even know her real name – she only wants to be called _Jiejie_ , big sister. Yifan himself spends the nights at the bar to get the customers drunk enough to steal some extra money out of their pockets and cleans up the mess after he’s kicked out the last customer.

Barely five minutes after he arrives to open the doors, Jiejie walks over the doorstep. Her face is caked in white make up, her lips are tinted red and she’s got her chin buried in an old scarf made of fox fur, one of the only relicts from her time as a bawd. On her arm, she’s got a young man. Yifan looks up to her as he’s pouring himself a glass of wine, his tradition to start the night.

“Got a new boyfriend, Jie?” He asks nonchalantly, but has to admit that the guy following her looks awfully good, especially his plump lips are an eye catcher and Yifan finds him staring at them a tad longer than he usually would.

“No, you idiot,” Jiejie says and rolls her eyes, before she pushes the boy towards the owner.

“I’m bringing you a new one. Found him yesterday selling chestnuts for a living out at the Fox Tower.”

Yifan nods to show he’s understood. When her boss won’t give her the expected reaction, Jiejie pouts her lips and says:

“You complained about not having enough men. Now I’m bringing you one, and this is your reaction? Ungrateful brat!”

Yifan needs to admit she’s right and he puts the glass on the counter to take a closer look at the other one. He could be his age, even though he still carries a few boyish traits on his face. He tries a smile, and reveals a dimple, which should prove useful to enchant clients. He’d be a good addition to his staff. 

“What’s your name, handsome?” Yifan asks.

“Zhang Yixing.”

Zhang Yixing’s body language reveals that he’s not quite sure what to think at all, but he doesn’t come off as a shy and inexperienced man. Yifan remembers one of his male workers, Lu Han, who could only stammer his name in response when Jiejie had brought him in last summer. Lu Han was totally lost, an innocent young boy that Jiejie took in, otherwise he would’ve starved outside at the Fox Tower. Lu Han had only accepted the job because he needed food, money, and a roof above his head. He’s now one of the most asked guys in Yifan’s rows. 

Zhang Yixing though, he seems to be different. There’s an aura surrounding him telling others that yes, he is cute, but he’s not naïve and stupid. He also seems to be in good health, which is essential to be employed by Yifan. He’s not taking in any bitch knocking at his door – they need to have good teeth for enchanting smiles, slender bodies to skilfully sway their hips and swirl around the customers, and no nasty diseases that give the men coming in and out itching in their nether regions. Yixing seems to meet the criteria.

“You ever done this before?” Yifan asks and leans against the counter.

“I used to get money for my roasted chestnuts, not for my ability to suck dick,” Yixing replies, causing Yifan to snort and even Jiejie manages to show a smile, something that rarely happens.

“Then how can I be sure you’ll please my customers, Yixing?” Is the next question the owner has in store. 

Yixing’s eyes light up, right before he shows a playful smile, tilting his head to the side.

“You might just need to wait and see.”

There is something about that guy which makes Yifan like him within an instant. He chuckles, then downs the wine. While he puts the glass onto the counter, he says:  
“Jie, take over for a while. I’m going to show our new guy his workplace.”

Jiejie nods and throws her coat over a bar stool. Yifan nods into Yixing’s direction to indicate he should follow him, so they make their way through the bar room. Its design reminds the foreign guests of the clubs and bars in London or Paris, while Chinese guests marvel at the foreign touch – it’s like killing two birds with one stone. While Yifan leads Yixing through the back door to the private rooms, the first workers crawl out behind the doors. The women are draped in silken dresses that reveal their collarbones and shoulders, while the few men that show up wear westernised dress shirts and tailored pants. Yixing stands out in his ragged clothing and catches everyone’s attention, but nobody says anything. It needs Lu Han to emerge out of his room for someone to address the newcomer.

“Oh! Is that a new face I’m seeing?” He chirps and examines Yixing from head to toe while he leans against the doorframe.

“Yepp, fresh out from the streets, brought in by Jie,” Yifan answers.

His statement causes Lu Han to wrinkle his nose.  
“Boss, you’re making it sound like we’re cattle that Jie gets from the nearest market. A little bit more curtesy, please!”

“Well. I _am_ fresh out from the streets,” Yixing concedes.

“Poor thing,” Lu Han responds and pushes himself off the doorframe. “Boss, that boy needs to be pampered a little. He’s a mess. You can’t unleash him on our customers like that.”

Lu Han is right. Yixing is in great need of a shower, maybe even a haircut, and new clothes. The owner raises an eyebrow, then he says:

“So I guess you’ll _love_ to make Zhang Yixing presentable while I take care of his room.”

Lu Han pouts, then he checks his wrist watch, one of the many gifts one of his regulars have made him, and says:

“I guess I still have time until Richard comes.”

With that, he grabs Yixing by the elbow and tells him to follow him. Yifan gets one of the free rooms ready, equipped with the basic interior – with passing time, Yixing will be able to upgrade his room, depending on how much money he’s going to put into Yifan’s pockets. Lu Han, for instance, loves to surround himself with expensive gifts his clients leave, starting from bouquets to clothes and jewellery. Maybe Yixing will go down that road too.

When Yifan’s done preparing the room, Lu Han comes in holding Yixing’s hand and leading him back to their boss. Lu Han seems to have been nice enough to lend Yixing some clothes that sort of fit him. His hair is still damp and shows first signs of natural wavy hair and Yifan’s senses start tingling. People will absolutely adore him.

“There he is, ready to go!” Lu Han chirps and tugs at the sleeves of the shirt Yixing is wearing, “He looks like a shiny new penny! Where’d you get him from, boss?”

“Jiejie brought him in from the Fox Tower.”

Lu Han squeals and turns to Yixing.

“Just like me! Oh, Yixing, we’re going to have a lot of fun.”

“You’re supposed to fuck customers, not each other,” Yifan grunts and Lu Han rolls his eyes.

“Relax boss, I’m not into Chinese men.”

“Oh really, and who was crying like a bitch after that one guy stopped showing?”

“His name was Kim Minseok and he was Korean and he went back to Korea, that’s why he stopped showing!”

“Still Asian.”

Lu Han scoffs and decides to leave.

“Richard’s probably waiting already!” He mumbles, and then pats Yixing’s head, “Welcome, Yixing. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask for my help.”

“Umm... thanks,” Yixing says and Lu Han disappears with a bright smile.

When he’s closed the door, Yixing looks to Yifan, clearly expecting something like a briefing on what he’s supposed to do now. Yifan clears his throat to cover up the sound of him choking on his own saliva when Yixing’s almond shaped eyes lock with his. He’s not supposed to be lusting after his employees. No matter how handsome or beautiful they are.

“So yeah. This is going to be your room. You can stay here, if you don’t live anywhere else, but we’ll charge you an extra of twenty fen per week. The longer you stay here and the more customers you get, the more you can do with your room whatever you want, as long as you don’t demolish it.”

“Sounds fine,” Yixing says with shrugging shoulders and plops down on the bed. 

He bounces on it a few times, then says:

“It’s definitely more comfortable than what I’m used to.”

 _Of course it needs to be comfortable, you’re going to get fucked here_ , Yifan thinks but refrains from saying that out loud. Instead, he tells Yixing about how much money clients are charged and how much he gets from it. It’s a forty-sixty ratio, and while Yifan still gets the larger share, his employees still get to keep more than those in rivalling brothels, which makes his establishment so endearing for Peking’s sex workers.

“If customers make you presents, you can keep them, I’m not interested in that.”

“Seems fair.”

Yixing really seems to be indifferent about it. He doesn’t seem to mind that he’s going to sell his body for other men, and that Yifan is going to profit big time from it. He looks at Yifan, batting his eyelids.

“So am I just going to hang around the bar and wait for a client to pick me up, or how does that work?”

“Well, yeah. You can also start serving drinks and get to know what kind of people roam the brothel. I just need you to be charming and flirty. Most of the guys come here because their wives refuse to put their dicks in their mouths or something...”

“... you’re really drawn to the whole dick-in-someone’s-mouth-thing,” Yixing slips.

Yifan rolls his eyes and says as he watches Yixing getting back on his feet:  
“You’re kind of cocky for your first day.”

“Ugh, I know, I’ve always been like that,” Yixing retorts and positions himself in front of Yifan.

The smell of roasted chestnuts still clings to him faintly, barely noticeable through the soap he’s used to wash the coal and dirt off his skin. Up this close, Yifan notices Yixing’s smooth skin and even complexion.

“It might come in handy, some regulars like guys like you.”

Yixing chuckles as a response, and then Yifan says:

“You know, I’m still not sure that you’re aware of what you’re getting yourself into. Customers can be nasty.”

“Oh, I think there are worse jobs to do than this,” Yixing answers with a shrug, “I’ll get used to it, I think.”

Something about him makes it hard for Yifan to avert his gaze and get a little more space between them. Yixing is so close now, he can feel the other’s breath on his neck since he’s a little smaller than him. Yifan feels a knot form in his stomach and he swallows thickly.

“So, you’re really not going to... test my abilities or something?” Yixing asks with an innocent look on his face and it makes Yifan almost whimper, but he manages to stay silent.

“Do you think I’m going to fuck everyone who wants to work for me?”

“I don’t know, _boss_ ,” Yixing voices his thoughts and hooks his right index finger into the waistband of Yifan’s pants, “But since you seem to be so obsessed with blowjobs...”

The brothel owner freezes and forgets how to breathe for a moment, then he laughs it off, but doesn’t do anything to keep Yixing’s hands away from him.

“You’re really something, Zhang Yixing. You claim to know nothing about this business and here you are trying to seduce me. Do you really think sucking your boss off at your first day is what you need to do?”

“I’m just adjusting quickly, and I’d rather have some sort of practice before letting someone pay money for what I’ll let them do to me,” the other one says with a pout and fumbles with the button of Yifan’s pants. When he undoes it, he looks up to Yifan, “So?”

Yifan’s heart pounds against his chest – he usually doesn’t do this. A new arrival has never really sparked his personal interest, but Yixing here... he’s different. Yifan gets the feeling that Yixing just likes to play innocent, until the other person lets their guard down. When he looks at the smaller’s lips, he feels his mouth watering at the mere thought of them sealed around his dick. He presses his own lips together, trying to resist, but then he feels Yixing’s fingertips slip under his shirt and his skin burns up within an instant at the touch.

“Fuck,” he curses and grabs Yixing’s neck to pull him closer.

Their bodies crash against each other, and so almost do their lips, but right before that happens, Yifan states:

“Well then, if you’re so eager, show me.”

Yixing doesn’t say anything and gets on his knees right away to pull Yifan’s pants down, just enough to reveal his dick. Yifan leans back against the wall and buries one of his hands in Yixing’s soft hair. He gives him a few moments to probably get used to the sight, then he gently leads the other man down to where he needs Yixing’s attention. When Yixing doesn’t even flinch and takes him in immediately, he needs to bite his lips and suppress a low chuckle. A pleasured groan escapes his throat though when he feels plump lips sealing around his cock and Yixing’s warm tongue slides along the sensitive skin. Yifan feels his dick swelling in Yixing’s mouth as he starts going up and down on him, slowly in the beginning, to test out his limits, while one hand gets wrapped around the part of Yifan’s dick that he can’t fit quite yet.

 _Sure, he only sold chestnuts_ , Yifan thinks as Yixing hollows out his cheeks and starts sucking more eagerly, sliding closer and going deeper down on him every time he lifts his head and sinks right back. _No way in hell he’s only done that_.

Yixing releases the hard-on that Yifan’s sporting by now with a slick sound and causes him to look down. He inhales sharply when he sees a string of saliva connecting his dick to Yixing’s lips that are slightly reddened and Yixing’s gaze meets his, looking like there’s no better thing in this world than to be sucking him off. It may be an act, but it works perfectly to get Yifan all hot and bothered. The head of Yifan’s dick is leaking with precum already and Yixing just starts licking it off and swirling his tongue around the slit – Yifan needs to avert his gaze and throws his head back to not come immediately from that sight alone. Fuck. That guy will be such an enrichment.

Yifan pushes Yixing’s mouth back on his dick, feeling that he needs to cum already, and luckily, Yixing gets the hint. He puts both his hands on Yifan’s hips to prevent him from thrusting down his throat and starts bopping his head up and down, way faster than before. Sometimes, Yifan hears him moaning and he feels the vibration against his cock which shoots tingling sensations from his lap into his stomach and his legs, a sign for him that he must be close. He thinks of giving Yixing a heads up, but then Yixing just deepthroats him, and with the next release of a moan, Yifan also releases his load in Yixing’s mouth. The smaller one clearly gets caught by surprise and jerks back, not knowing what to do, until he decides to keep swallowing until Yifan’s done. When Yifan’s jerked one last time and stands still, Yixing releases his cock and pulls his pants up.

“Was that okay?” He asks, and the tone in his voice tells Yifan that he’s just being a cocky bitch.

It kind of pisses Yifan off, but he says, still panting:

“Well. Guess you passed that test.”

Yifan looks back at him and sees some of his cum in the right corner of his mouth. He wipes it away with his thumb and shows the leftovers to Yixing.

“You missed some though.”

“Oh, my bad,” Yixing scoffs, but places his red abused lips on Yifan’s thumb, licking it clean like a cat – it makes Yifan’s blood boil once again.

“I guess you’re ready for those assholes outside,” Yifan says, trying to regain his composure.

When he realises that he’s failing, he just tells Yixing to not waste any more time and follow him, otherwise, he fears, he’s just going to fuck the other against the wall. Rushing out of the room, he swears he hears Yixing giggling, and it’s absolutely embarrassing. When he walks back to the bar, the scenery has changed completely – Yifan’s boys and girls have gathered around the early birds that have flocked in from the streets to escape the cold winter. Conversations and laughter accompany the clinking of glasses. Perfume mixes with cigarette smoke and the whiskey that Jiejie hands out over the bar counter. Yifan retreats behind it to get back to his work so Jiejie can take a look at the employees who haven’t showed up by now. Yixing keeps standing in the doorway to the backrooms, either not sure what to do or just trying to find Lu Han in the crowd.

Lu Han notices him while he’s got one leg placed over the lap of a British guy named Richard, a regular who has found a massive liking in him. Richard is one of those well-off foreigners here in Peking, residing in the Legation Quarter and enjoying the comfortable life. Rumor has it he’s got tight relationships to the Crown, but nobody really knows what he actually does for a living. He’s in company with another guy, who has his hands tightly wrapped around his glass of whiskey. His crouching posture makes it hard to estimate his height, and the light in the room doesn’t give too many chances to say whether he’s blond or ginger. Nevertheless, he stands out from the crowd, with high cheekbones, a straight and prominent nose, and long eyelashes that catch the light and throw shadows on his face.

“Yixing!” The Chinese boy gets up from his client’s lap, telling him he’ll be back and dashes off to his new coworker. “Good you made it! I think I’ve got a customer for you!”

“Huh?”

Lu Han giggles and throws an arm around him, nodding into the direction of Richard and his friend.

“So Richard brought a new guy over. Look at that poor man... he’s been left here in Peking while his wife left for London with his kids... he’s _shattered_ and needs a little lovin’...”

“Perfect to start the job, to be honest,” Jiejie throws in while she tries to walk past them, “He’ll probably just start crying after a good blowjob and wants to be held for the rest of the night. Cherish those customers, they’re a blessing, Yixing.”

Lu Han nods frantically.

“They are! And he’s also very shy, he’s probably not into anything kinky... oh! And his Chinese is pretty good, by the way! What do you say, Xingie?”

Yifan proceeds to dry a glass but watches from the corner of his eyes how Yixing seems to give it a thought, but then nods and agrees.

“Sure. Why not?”

“That’s my boy!” 

Lu Han pats his shoulders, then he drags him along. Yifan follows them with his eyes as Lu Han puts gentle pressure on Yixing’s back to lead him to the table. Richard and his friend look up – Yifan can’t see Yixing’s face but the way Richard’s friend opens his mouth in awe as he notices him speaks volumes. He’s enchanted, probably by a cute dimpled smile paired with hazel eyes and a young face framed by black and wavy hair.

After a quick introduction, Yixing sits down next to the newcomer while Lu Han slips back onto Richard’s lap. 

“Well, fuck me, I think Lu Han’s found a protégé,” Jiejie states as she has watched the scene as well.

Yifan chuckles, still kind of feeling Yixing’s lips around his dick, and puts the glass he’s dried onto the shelf behind him. Yixing seems to have quickly connected to the customer – who’s finally let go of his drink and seemingly relaxes as Yixing gently puts a hand on his shoulder. The other conversations make it impossible to hear what they’re saying, but judging from Yixing’s smile it’s nothing but sweet talk. Lu Han grins, before he turns back to Richard and presses his lips onto the foreigners’ for their first kiss of the night. 

“I have the feeling they’re going to be a power couple...” Jiejie says.

“Go and check on your girls, Jie,” Yifan simply responds and she takes off while rolling her eyes.

***

As it turns out, Jiejie’s prediction proves to be right. After a few weeks, word carried through The Badlands that a new guy in Yifan’s brothel has arrived. Men swarm in and demand to get a taste of him, and Yixing seems to enjoy the attention and the power he holds over the clients that fall for his cute looks. His room soon looks a lot like Lu Han’s, filled with flowers and presents that his admirers leave for him, and Yifan fears that it might sow rivalry between him and the other man.

But it doesn’t. 

Lu Han is glad, delighted even, when a few of his regulars leave him for Yixing, arguing that he didn’t like them anyway. Sometimes, they’d sit around at the bar with a drink in their hand and scan the crowd together, picking out a duo that has just sat down at a table. They soon figure out that being together and getting picked up by a bunch of men is more lucrative than doing this by themselves. Yifan doesn’t mind them teaming up, because he’d rather be having them on good terms than bitching at each other.

One day though, the teaming-up becomes a little more than that and Yifan isn’t too sure if he likes that development. It’s a busy Friday night, and Yixing sits at the bar to have a drink that Yifan’s fixed him before. He doesn’t seem to be in the best mood, even a little cranky, so he keeps staring into his drink and has his back turned to the crowd to avoid making eye contact with anyone who comes in. Right when Yifan wants to ask if anything’s wrong, Lu Han appears at Yixing’s side and plops down onto the barstool next to him.

“Yixing, my love!”

“If you start like this, you want me to do you a favour,” Yixing answers.

Lu Han’s reaction is a pout, but then he says:

“Well, you’re not wrong here. I really need you to do me a favour. It’s going to sound weird though.”

“Yesterday, I had a client who had a thing for my feet, so really, I don’t think you can get weirder than him.”

“Wait, what?” Yifan throws in.

“Hey, if a customer just wants to jerk off to my naked feet, please, I won’t hold them back. It was even kind of nice to not have a dick up your ass for once,” Yixing snorts disdainfully.

“Sick world,” Yifan states and shakes his head to get rid of the picture of a faceless guy ejaculating over Yixing’s feet, since that really isn’t a thought he wants to have.

“Jerking off is a good keyword though,” Lu Han says and points his index finger to a man in the far back of the room, “So, this customer over here has a kind of weird request.”

“He’s got a foot fetish too?” Yifan asks and Lu Han rolls his eyes.

“Boss, sorry, but let _us_ do the dirty work, and you keep mixing the drinks.”

Yifan grunts, but promises to keep silent and goes about the deeds of preparing a few refreshments. Lu Han turns back to Yixing.

“So, I’ve been talking to him... Russian, but none of those shabby worthless pieces of shit that live here in The Badlands... he’s from the Military or something...”

“I guess you want to say that he’s willing to pay more than the regular fees for his request,” Yixing combines and Lu Han nods.

“Yeah.”

“But what is the request, Lu Han?”

“He wants me to suck you off.”

A “Huh?!” falls from Yixing’s and Yifan’s lips in unison and Lu Han shrugs his shoulders.

“He wants to just sit in a corner and jerk off to us making out. And he specifically asked me to put your dick in my mouth. I said I’d talk to you first.”

“Wait, wait, wait, hold up!” Yifan yodels and smashes the bottle of whiskey down the counter he just picked up, “I’m not sure if I’m okay with my employees getting it on together!”

“Oh, is that only because it’s us two? Because I know for a fact that you can rent Lili and Jingfei for threesomes, don’t tell me they’re not eating each other out on a regular basis,” Lu Han snorts.

Yifan doesn’t know what to say to this, so he closes his mouth again, but keeps opposing the very idea of Lu Han coming anywhere near Yixing’s dick. He doesn’t even know why. It just irks him.

Yixing looks over his shoulder to the client who’s leaned over the table in anticipation, his blue eyes set on both of them. Yifan almost expects Yixing to say no, since he really doesn’t seem to be feeling it today, but instead, he downs the rest of the alcohol in his glass and places is back onto the counter. Then he turns around on his stool, grabs Lu Han’s neck and crashes their lips together. Yifan freezes on the spot as he even sees how Yixing works his tongue into Lu Han’s mouth who just picks up on the act and tangles up his fingers in the other’s hair. Their kiss is sloppy and open mouthed, and the sight somehow infuriates Yifan. He’s seen both of them kiss other men a few times before, but both of them kissing _each other_ is something he just doesn’t want to _see_. When they part, even Lu Han seems to be a little surprised by how aggressive Yixing’s just been. Who, in return, just tilts his head and chirps:

“So, are we going to your room or mine?”

Lu Han starts laughing and grabs Yixing’s neck to pull him close and rub their noses against each other.

“I want to be comfortable when I suck the life out of you, so maybe mine.”  
“Deal,” Yixing shrugs his shoulders.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Yifan throws in again, feeling that nobody is going to listen to him anyway.

“Boss, relax, we’ll make you filthy rich tonight!” Lu Han giggles as Yixing slides off his seat and they roam over to the table where their client has watched them from.

His cheeks are flushed red and his mouth is hanging slightly open – he took the bait immediately and is probably already leaking with precum. When they disappear for Lu Han’s room, Yifan is holding one of the glasses so hard, his knuckles turn white.

What starts as a one-time-occasion soon turns into a regular thing and the Russian client comes back several times, asking Lu Han and Yixing to get each other off while he watches from afar. Yifan can’t do anything to stop it, because the client _does_ pay very well, and he’d be a damn fool if he told him to not come over anymore. After all, he’s got the reputation that he provides for every need. And if that means someone wants to see two good looking men fooling around, so be it. It’s a hard pill to swallow, but a necessary evil in a field like this.

It doesn’t occur to him though that the reason why this peeves him out so much is not the fact that Lu Han and Yixing get it on together. It’s simply the fact that it’s not Yifan himself to get it on with Yixing.

***

After a day, or rather – a night, of work, Yixing likes to come out of his room one more time and have a drink while Yifan cleans up the bar. Yifan doesn’t want to admit it, but he kind of enjoys those thirty minutes after closing, because the room is finally silent again and the conversations he holds with Yixing take his mind off cleaning the place, a deed he absolutely hates. He learns a lot about Yixing which makes him grow very fond of him. His biography is similar to any other lost soul living in Peking. His parents died early, and he had to learn how to provide for himself from a young age. Selling chestnuts was a way, but he’s eventually grown tired of it. He took Jiejie’s appearance as a sign to try new things which lead him to agree on coming with her in the first place. Yifan loves listening to Yixing’s stories, and his voice, that’s often clouded with fatigue after a long night of sex.

Yixing seems to enjoy their conversations just as much, since he’s the one to keep crawling out of his bedroom no matter how tired he is, not even bothering to properly button his shirt. He sometimes doesn’t even wear any clothes and just sits in a chair or at the bar with a blanket wrapped around his body, just like today.

Today is one of Yixing’s moody days again. It’s weird with him. Most of the time he’s a sweetheart, always smiling and laughing, patting the backs of loners, sitting on laps and letting strong arms hold him close to the bodies of several types of men, laughing at their jokes, sweet-talking to them to wrap them around his finger, but sometimes, he turns silent for no apparent reason. Yifan never knows what to do then, so he just chatters away while he sweeps the floor and picks up pieces of broken glasses and cigarettes.

“Yifan,” Yixing suddenly interrupts Yifan’s word vomit, “I need to ask you something.”

“Look at that, you can talk, actually!” Yifan jokes, but his smile fades when he sees Yixing raising an eyebrow, “Sorry. What do you want to ask?”

“What would you do if someone was after me?”

The question is meant to be coming from genuine concern, so Yifan swallows the ‘Half of Peking is after you, what do you mean exactly?’ lying on the tip of his tongue. Instead, he says:

“Is there somebody who’s after you?”

“Not exactly _after_ me, but I have the feeling he’s taking the whole thing too seriously,” Yixing answers truthfully.

Yifan senses that it’s bugging Yixing, so he grabs a chair and places it in front of the other. After sitting down, he looks him straight in the eyes and demands:

“Tell me what’s going on.”

Yixing heaves a sigh and looks up to the ceiling. When his eyes dart back to his boss, he starts explaining:  
“I may be interpreting too much. But... do you remember that client from my very first night here?”

“That friend of Richard’s.”

“Yes. His name is Thomas.”

“I do remember him. He’s come back quite a few times for you, right?”

“He did. And he still does. And I think... it’s getting weird somehow.”

“How so?”

“Jiejie was right when she said that he’d probably just need somebody to hold. He seemed to need someone to talk, so I spent hours listening to what he had to say. Only after like the third visit he asked me to suck his dick,” Yixing pauses but when Yifan doesn’t say anything, he continues, “It’s really only gradually grown into something sexual. And I don’t know. He’s not like the other guys who just want to _fuck_. He’s... different. Actually cares about what I feel. Never wants to hurt me and the like.”

“But that doesn’t sound too bad, right?”

“No, it doesn’t. It’s nice to be treated with respect like that. But I have the feeling that he thinks I might just exclusively belong to him. He slipped a comment about how he doesn’t like it when I have other customers, and he doesn’t want me to accept gifts from other men... the flowers he sends to me come with lengthy love letters and poems.”

“Oh.”

Yixing doesn’t need to go on. This happened before with one or two of Yifan’s girls – a client actually falling in love and courting her, which then has resulted in Yifan kicking the admirer out and prohibiting from entering his establishment again.

“How does that make you feel?” He asks then.

“Uncomfortable, mostly. I don’t want him to feel that way, because I don’t have those kinds of feelings for him. But I can’t say no to him either... he’s paying for those hours in my bedroom, so I have to do what he wants to do.”

“Yixing,” Yifan says and ignores how his heart stopped beating for a second and only continued to pump blood through his veins when Yixing said that the feeling isn’t mutual, “You don’t have to do _everything_.”

Yixing doesn’t seem to understand and frowns.

“If you feel uncomfortable doing something, then don’t fucking do it. If you don’t want to serve a certain client, don’t. Tell them, politely though. And if they don’t back off, you go and tell me and I’ll resolve the issue.”

“I can turn down a client?”

“Yixing, I was already thinking about taking appointments because the men are lining up to see you. You can definitely choose your clients. Lu Han turns them down all the time, mostly in favour of his regulars.”

Yixing seems to think about those words, then he manages to show a faint smile.  
“Thank you.”

“No need to thank me. That’s my job. You work for me, and I’ll give you guys the protection you need.”

While saying this, Yifan ruffles the other’s hair and elicits a chuckle out of him. He doesn’t say anything anymore, but suddenly Yixing bends forward and places his head on one of Yifan’s thighs, while Yifan’s fingers still play with a few strands of his hair. The movement is so innocent, it makes Yifan’s heart burst, but he doesn’t shy away. He keeps caressing Yixing’s head, who only sits back up after a good five minutes of them not talking.

“I’ll go to bed, Yifan.”

“Good night.”

With a last smile that finally manages to reach his eyes, Yixing gets up and shuffles into his room. Yifan is left in the bar room hoping that Yixing will have the heart to actually say no when his guts tell him to.

***

Ever since Yixing voiced his thoughts about being tailed by Thomas, Yifan has gotten awfully aware of how many guys are pining after him. Yixing's managed to steal the hearts of many customers, not just the British guy who needed someone to comfort him after his wife had left the country. 

It's unnerving. 

The way they stroll in and claim Yixing as their own. How they pull him onto their laps and into their arms and bury their faces in the curve of his neck to get a first taste of him. Yixing lets them, smiling and giggling when they talk to him, making them feel like they're special. He plays this act perfectly, so much that sometimes, even Yifan isn’t sure anymore if Yixing isn’t actually crushing on those guys. Every time he leaves with one of them into his bedroom, Yifan has a lump in his throat and a stinging pain in his chest and it only gets better when the doors are closed, the customers gone, and Yixing is back with Yifan at the bar to have a last drink before going to bed. Yifan doesn't understand what's going on with him. He's never felt like that before. He surely is protective of his employees, because he wants to be a good boss and make their work as pleasant as it can get, but he has the feeling that this is not the only reason his stomach tightens when he sees Yixing in the arms of another man.

One evening, Yixing sits at the bar since Lu Han is off with another guy, and chats the night away with Yifan who keeps pouring out drinks. It's December 31st, and the foreigners are in the mood to drink more than usual since it’s the Western New Year’s Eve, and that has to be celebrated. All of a sudden, between Yixing smiling and laughing at Yifan as he watches him ripping off a drunk German, Thomas comes through the entrance. 

Yixing looks up, then locks eyes with Yifan. Before Thomas can get within their reach, Yifan says:

"I can make him leave if you want to."

Yixing cannot answer because the approaching male is already placing his hand on his shoulder. 

"I missed you," the foreigner says in perfect Mandarin. 

Yixing needs a second to get over the first initial shock, but then he starts smiling again and chirps:

"Thomas! I haven't seen you in a while!"

"I had to go to Shanghai for some business, but now I'm back."

He caresses Yixing's cheek with a stupid loving look on his face, then he leans over to give him a kiss. Yixing doesn't do anything to stop him though, so Yifan feels the need to speak up before their lips meet:

"Yixing, may I have a word with you?"

"Sure, boss!"

Thomas doesn't seem to be thrilled to let Yixing go, but the Chinese just hands him his drink, saying:

"Here, have my drink, I'll be back."

Yifan leads Yixing into the storage for the alcohol, a small shabby dusty room with only a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling.

"Yixing," he starts, "Tell me to make him leave and I'll do it."

"It's okay," Yixing says, "He's left me alone while he was in Shanghai, I might have overreacted."

"Umm, I don’t think it’s okay though, he’s fishy."

Yixing cracks a smile when he hears that.

"Cute, are you worrying about me?"

"Worrying about my employees is my job, Yixing."

"Ugh, and here I was thinking that this is your way of telling me you like me."

"Please drop the attitude. Tell me if Thomas should leave you alone or not."

Yixing does indeed drop his sassy attitude, then he just wraps his slim body around Yifan's. Yifan is taken by surprise, but manages to awkwardly put his arms around him.

"Don't worry, it's fine," Yixing whispers into Yifan's chest, then stands on his tiptoes to give him a quick peck on the cheek, "I know you're here."

With that, he leaves him standing and Yifan needs to take a few breaths to calm his heart rate down. When he gets back to the bar, and he sees Yixing and Thomas slip through the door to the bedrooms though, he feels his blood boil again. And his face keeps burning at the touch of Yixing's plump lips.

***

Yixing doesn't come back for the rest of the night, which isn't too unusual. Once his clients get to spend time with him, they make sure to make the most of it. Yifan's senses start tingling though when he sees Thomas rush out of the brothel around two in the morning, with a sour look on his face. He can't leave the bar though because Jiejie is busy looking after a girl and the clients need the alcohol to be flowing.

It's only a few hours later when he's kicked out the last drunk customer he gets a chance to check up on Yixing. The feeling in his stomach tells him that something bigger must have happened, and he doesn't even bother to wait for Yixing to tell him to come in when he bangs his fist against the door. After knocking, he just simply opens it and steps in.

"Yixing, are you... what the hell?"

He steps on flowers and pieces of a smashed vase, and when he looks up he finds Yixing curled up on his bed hidden under his blanket.

"Yixing? What happened here?"

Yifan can only make out how Yixing shakes his head, probably telling him to leave, but Yifan closes the door, steps over the broken porcelain, and sits down onto the brink of the bed.

"Yixing," he says again, but gets interrupted:

"No, don't, please..."

"What did he do?!"

Yifan has no time to be playing games, so he pulls the blanket off. Yixing curls up even more and tries to cover his face with his hands while he pulls up his shoulders to shield his neck.

"Yixing, I swear to god...!"

Yifan is taller and stronger than him, so Yixing barely stands a chance when his boss pulls at his arms. Bruised lips appear behind his hands, clearly not the result from heavy and hard kissing. Yifan's gaze wanders down to Yixing's neck and his mouth falls open in shock when he sees red marks on it.

"I thought he'd kill me," Yixing finally manages to squeeze out before he lets out a sob, followed by thick tears rolling down his cheeks.

Yifan is speechless and can't think of anything else than to pull the other close while swaying him back and forth. In between his sobs, Yixing manages to give Yifan a run down on what happened.

Everything was normal, until Thomas proposed to Yixing to leave with him. He somehow imagined to take Yixing in, so he can have him all to himself. When Yixing told him that he can't just leave, he kept insisting on bringing him from The Badlands to the Legation Quarter though. He tried to persuade him, but eventually, Yixing snapped and told him that he's thinking too much of their relationship - Thomas is, after all, merely a customer that pays good money to have sex with him. When Thomas realised that Yixing really doesn't love him, he lost it - hit him right in the face and squeezed his throat, claiming that if he couldn't have him, nobody should. Yixing was too paralysed to move, yet fight him off, but Thomas let go of him right when he thought he was going to pass out. Coughing and dizzy in the head, Yixing watched as Thomas got off the bed, put on his clothes, and grabbed the nearest vase - he held it up, aiming at Yixing, but decided to smash it against the door instead. Then he took off.

“I can’t do this anymore,” Yixing howls, his voice still cracky.

“I should’ve kicked him out when I had the chance...” Yifan mumbles while he throws the blanket around Yixing’s naked body, still holding him in his arms.

Yixing presses their bodies together, like a frightened kid that seeks comfort from their mother’s embrace. He’s stopped crying, but his body is still shaking from the distress.

“Tell him to leave next time, please.”

“He won’t come near you ever again,” Yifan promises, then he adds, “Take a few days off. You don’t need to serve anyone looking and feeling like that.”

Yixing puts his head down on Yifan’s shoulder. His lashes tickle the sensitive skin of Yifan’s neck while he blinks a few more tears away.

“Thank you,” he whispers, his breath dancing across the other’s neck.

***

It's a week later on the Eve of Russian Christmas when Yixing gets back to work. He keeps the bruises hidden under a layer of make up one of the girls put on for him, so nobody of the customers will ask intrusive questions. People have been asking for him and Yifan’s dodged them with the excuse that Yixing is recovering from a flu and won’t get back to serve anyone until he’s returned to full health.

It’s right after dinner time when the bar is packed with people already. Men lure in the corners, not yet drunk enough to be making moves on the sex workers who need to take matters in their own hands and stroll over to them. This behaviour will change soon, and Yifan’s girls and boys will barely be safe from groping horny men. Yixing keeps himself in the corner of the bar, dodging the first clients that come up to him. When they won’t leave, Yifan appears at the other side of the counter to shoot them an evil look, something he’s very good in, and they retreat.

“Are you expecting someone?” Yifan asks when another one gets turned down.

“Not really, but I figured that I don’t want to get back to work with someone that I don’t want to see naked,” Yixing says and shrugs his shoulders.

“Fair enough,” Yifan says, then realises that he needs to get some more bottles of vodka – to fulfil every cliché, the beverage seems to be in extremely high demand today.

“I’ll be back in a minute, can you keep an eye on the bar so nobody just starts serving themselves?” Yifan asks and Yixing nods, so he turns to the storage room immediately.

He really is gone for barely a few moments, since he doesn’t want to be gone for long, but when he comes back with a few bottles in his arms, they almost drop to the floor when he sees that that fucking British guy has come in, and of course, is cornering Yixing. Yifan doesn’t lose any time, puts the bottles down on the shelf, and walks over. When he arrives, he hears Thomas say:  
“I’m so sorry, Yixing, really!”

Yixing avoids looking at him and keeps his gaze down, every single one of his muscle stiffened in fear.

“Hey, Thomas,” Yifan says and the foreigner looks up, blinking confused.

“Hello,” he greets and eyes him carefully.

“Nice evening, right?” the brothel owner chatters, “It’d be a shame if the mood was spoiled. So I’m asking you to leave now.”

“Excuse me?!” Thomas snaps and his attention fully turns to Yifan, “You’re asking me to do _what_?”

“I know what you did to Yixing. And I’m not going to let this happen again. Leave my place, I’m asking nicely.”

“Yixing,” Thomas says, trying to drag the other into the conversation, “I said I am sorry. I’m not going to hurt you ever again.”

“Right, so that’s why you’ll leave now - and you won’t be coming back here.”

“Is this a fucking joke?”

“Do you see me laughing, Thomas?”

The foreigner doesn’t say anything and grinds his teeth. Yifan adds:  
“I’ll count to three, in English, just for you, and you’ll be gone by then... _one_...”

“Yixing, I swear, it’s not going to happen again,” Thomas spurts out in a fit of panic, leaning close to the other male and cornering him between himself and the wall – he ignores the whimper that escapes Yixing’s throat.

“... _two_...”  
“I love you, Yixing, please...”

“... _three_. Leave now, Thomas.”

“Do you think I’ll listen to a fucking _chink_ like you?” Thomas snaps at Yifan.

The racial slur he’s spilled hangs in the air along with the cigarette smoke and Jiejie, who has come over to check on the situation and pull Yixing away, gasps.

“This fucking _chink_ owns this brothel, for the record, and I decide who gets to fuck my employees. You’re not one of them.”

Thomas wants to say something, but when he opens his mouth, Yifan grabs the empty bottle of vodka and smashes it over his head. The celebrating Russians are so loud, only the closest bystanders hear the glass shattering against Thomas’ skull. Yixing screams and jumps in his seat, shielding himself from the flying pieces. Jiejie runs over and pulls him away.

“Did you... just...?!” Thomas roars when he feels blood running from his hairline over his face, too shocked to react.

“You fucking bastard!” Yifan hisses and leans over the counter to grab the foreigner by his ears.

He pulls him down, smacking his head onto the counter, which finally catches more attention of the other guests. Yifan knows this is bad for business, and he actually has a ‘no fighting’ rule for this house, but this motherfucker just asked for it. He’s so enraged by now, all he thinks of is how to inflict the most pain to this man. Holding onto his hair, he drags Thomas over the counter – the guests seated there jump out of the way and can only watch helplessly as the Brit’s face gets dragged over the wood, taking their drinks with him. Thomas keeps screaming as the alcohol burns in his eyes, but Yifan doesn’t care.

“I asked nicely!” The owner roars, then pushes him into the direction of the door, giving him a hard kick into his lower back.

Thomas is so shocked, he only manages to stumble out of the brothel – Yifan should leave it at that, but he follows him out on the streets. It’s been snowing lightly and the street is even muddier than usual. He kicks the other one last time and watches how he falls into the dirt face forward. Then he grabs him by the shoulders and turns him around, only to smash his fist into his face, again and again, until he hears the cracking of bones, probably the other’s nose. Only then he realises that he might not want to go further, because foreigners always get special treatment, even in The Badlands, so he stops his fist mid-way, and grabs the collar of Thomas’ coat while he kneels above him.

“You come back here _one more time_ and I’ll cut your dick off. You’ll harass Yixing one more time and I’ll fucking kill you. Understood?!”

Thomas only manages to nod, and Yifan pushes him back into the dirt. When he lets him go, Thomas gurgles something along the lines of ‘You’ll regret this’, but he stumbles onto his feet and dashes away down the street.

“Fuck off, you son of a dog!” Yifan yells after him.

He takes a few breaths, and turns around with ringing ears and adrenaline rushing through his veins. When he’s back inside, the whole room has turned silent. Jiejie keeps holding Yixing close, who’s got his hand pressed over his mouth, tears glistening in his eyes. Everyone else eyes Yifan in sheer horror – they’re used to Yifan being a little rough sometimes, but he’s never lashed out like that. Even his employees are too shocked to move.

Yixing is the first one to overcome his state of shock and runs for the bedrooms without a word. Yifan wants to follow him, but instead, he grabs one of his Russian girls by her wrist and drags her behind the bar.

“This girl is going to give out free shots of vodka, merry Christmas!” He announces, and the girl looks at him as if he has lost his mind.

“I’m not a waitress!” She protests, but turns silent when Yifan’s grip around her delicate wrist gets tighter.  
“Well, seems like you’re going to broaden your horizon tonight,” he hisses.

Jiejie comes running to them for support.

“I’ll help you, sweetheart,” she chirps and grabs the bottles of alcohol while the first clients roam over.

She gives Yifan a nod to tell him she’s going to have everything under control, so he takes off to check on Yixing, hoping the free alcohol will bring the mood back he’s destroyed with his outburst.

He doesn’t knock on Yixing’s door and finds him standing in the middle of his bedroom with his hands buried in his hair. When he’s closed the door, Yixing turns around and faces Yifan. Tears have left streams on his face, and even like that, he looks absolutely beautiful, which is a weird thought to have in this very moment. But Yifan can’t help himself. It’s just a fact. Yixing is the most beautiful person he’s ever laid his eyes on, and he’d probably kill someone in order to keep him safe.

“You’re crazy...!” Yixing squeaks.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t plan to go _that_ far but he just...” Yifan launches an explanation, but he’s never given the chance to finish his statement.

Yixing interrupts him by huddling over and crashing his lips onto Yifan’s. His hands let go of his hair to hold on to his face instead.

“You’ll be – in so much – trouble,” Yixing says in between some sloppy kisses that Yifan hungrily reciprocates.

“I don’t care,” Yifan mumbles against his lips and automatically lifts him up.

Yixing throws his legs around Yifan’s hips to not fall down and Yifan stumbles against the wall, pinning Yixing against it. The smaller one gasps, but keeps kissing Yifan hard and forceful. When Yifan’s tongue sweeps over his bottom lip, Yixing gives in immediately and allows him to conquer him – he lets him take the lead, even though he initiated whatever they’re doing right now. Yifan’s head gets dizzy, but when Yixing presses his hips against his, he somehow gets back to his senses. 

He’s making out with his employee. After what just happened over in the bar room.

“Yixing, stop,” Yifan finally manages to say and withdraw from Yixing’s seductive lips which are red and swollen.

“What?” Yixing breathes, his deep sultry eyes pinned on the other man.

“We’re not thinking straight, calm down, please, don’t...!”

There’s a pause, and the room is filled with nothing but their heavy breathing. A few moments later, Yixing’s face lights up in despair in the wake of his doing, and he lets out a dry sob before his head falls onto Yifan’s shoulder. The taller man feels Yixing’s body slump in his arms and he carries him over to the bed to lay him down. Yixing lets him, but when his head rests on his pillow, he grabs Yifan’s wrist so he can’t walk away. His hands are so small compared to his, so fragile and delicate, just like the rest of him. It hurts Yifan that he’s in this kind of situation, basically because of him.

“Jiejie should’ve left you at the Fox Tower to keep selling chestnuts...” He whispers as he looks at Yixing’s pale face, “This ruined you.”

Yixing furrows his eyebrows, then he shakes his head quickly. It’s like he wants to protest.

“Keep me company, please?” He then asks, deciding to ignore Yifan’s remark.

Yifan sighs, then he lays down next to the other and pulls him into his arms.

“Just for a little while,” Yixing whispers while he buries his face in Yifan’s chest.

Yifan keeps his arms tightly wrapped around him and thinks of how to make Yixing feel better, but his mind is blank and he can’t manage to come up with something. He’d like to stay with Yixing for the rest of the night, but he also knows that people will get talking if he won’t go back to the bar.

“Yixing…” He finally says after a while.

“I know,” he says and loosens his grip around Yifan’s hips, “You need to go.”

Yifan nods and slowly gets up. His body is missing Yixing’s warmth immediately and it needs all of his willpower to not give in and crawl back onto the mattress. He looks down on the other, who keeps lying on the bed like all life has left his body. In that moment, Yifan decides:

“I’ll take you home with me. After this.”

Yixing looks up to him. Then nods slowly to express his consent. Yifan tries a smile, even if it might come off crooked.

“Take a rest,” he says then, “Nobody will ever hurt you again.”

Yixing lifts one hand to silently tell the other to come closer once again. Yifan obeys, mostly because he’s just really whipped when it comes to Yixing and he leans over him, one knee placed on the mattress, while his other foot is set on the ground. Yixing places one hand in Yifan’s neck, pulls him closer and gives him a soft kiss, his body trembling when their lips meet.

“I’ll wait for you.”

Then he lets him go.


End file.
